• THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA Starring Barkhad Abdi, Melanie Griffith and Al Pacino, Gets A Release Date

    The Parents of Somalia Bryan Buckley’s The Parents of Somalia (previously known as Dabka), an audience favorite from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, will be released nationwide on Friday, December 8th, 2017, via Echo Bridge Releasing.  The Parents of Somalia stars Evan Peters, Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Melanie Griffith, and Al Pacino. Based on the New York Times Bestseller’ The Parents of Somalia by journalist Jay Bahadur, Bryan Buckley brings us a tale of empowerment and the potential we have as individuals. Suspenseful as it is inspiring, The Parents of Somalia tells an insider’s story of what led up to the “Captain Phillips” hostage saga exploding at sea. The story follows rookie journalist Jay Bahadur (Evan Peters), who after having a chance encounter with an experienced war correspondent (Al Pacino), uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer (Barkhad Abdi), Jay attempts to embed himself with the local Somali pirates, getting in way over his head in the process. “I am so pleased to be partnering with Echo Bridge, who share the same level of commitment to this film that we do” said director Bryan Buckley. “This is an important and powerful story that demonstrates the courage of those journalists who have risked their lives to tell us the truth. It’s a piece of work that needs to be shared with all audiences; therefore, we could not be more thrilled to have found the right partner to provide this film with the proper platform.” This is Buckley’s second feature film, following the 2015 Sundance Film Festival premiere of The Bronze which was released by Sony Pictures Classics in the beginning of 2016.

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  • MY FATHER’s WINGS Wins Grand Prix Award at Cape Town International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_25248" align="aligncenter" width="1160"]My Father’s Wings by Kivanç Sezer My Father’s Wings by Kivanç Sezer[/caption] The 2017 Cape Town International Film Market & Festival announced its winners – with My Father’s Wings by Kivanç Sezer winning the Grand Prix Award, and Catching Feelings by Kagiso Lediga winning the award for Best South African Feature Film. Over the ten days of the festival, energy of local young filmmakers combined with the enthusiasm from the many local and international experts, professionals and guest speakers, has proven that Cape Town’s film industry is thriving.

    Pitching Competition

    The winner of this year’s prize worth $20 000 is Nathan Theys, for Ronald. The runner-up prize worth $10,000 awarded to Brett Michael Innes for Callus.

    South African Short Film –Honorable Mentions

    Jaap by Ian Morgan Meticulously crafted, Jaap may start off with stereotypes, but the characters turn out well-rounded in the end. Director Ian Morgan has created a quirky, funny, poignant and endearing road trip movie. Post by Jesse Brown Post is an immersive sensory experience. A short, hand-held camera documentary it paints a portrait of filmmaker Jesse Brown’s grandfather, showing off an intimacy between the two that is both playful and real, yet sublime.

    Best Short Film

    Intergalactic Samurai by Hagar Ben-Asher Well-rounded, polished, emotionally visceral and with an ending to make your hair stand on end, this story of two young Ethiopian girls in Israel will subtly teach you something you didn’t know. The story about identity is universal but will be of relevance to South Africans. The superb performance Hagar Ben-Asher gets out of her two characters immediately grabbed us and left us gasping is Intergalactic Samurai.

    Best Actor

    Pankaj Tripathi as Salim in Mango Dreams

    Best Actress

    Antoinette Louw as Molly Fischer in An Act of Defiance

    Best Script

    Jean van der Velde for An Act of Defiance

    Best Editing

    Mustafa Presheva for Ayla: The Daughter of War

    Best Cinematography

    Massimo Moschin for The Last Prosecco

    Best Documentary Film

    Hana by Giuseppe Carrieri Giuseppe Carrieri ‘s Hana was selected for its real documented incidents in 4 different countries concerning a human issue, connecting through the pain and the high Film language a well-made story telling documentary

    Best LGBT Film

    Special Mention Award KA Bodyscapes by Jayan K. Cherian In India homosexuality is criminalized in law, with high levels of persecution and harassment. In this context, KA Bodyscapes is a courageous film. It is a film about working class LGBT people struggling against both homophobia and sexism. Set in Kerala, the film weaves together several narratives that highlight the vulnerabilities of economic marginalization, violence, state harassment, and powerful queer resistance, in the daily realties of women and LGBT people. Best LGBT Film Heartstone by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson This is an extraordinarily crafted film, dealing with the crisis in contemporary masculinity and how a heteronormative structure damages all genders and sexualities. It is a coming of age story of young people that mirrors the harsh and isolated, yet breathtaking, Icelandic fishing village in which it is set. Heartstone is a stunning debut feature with raw, visceral performances, sensitive directing, truthful screenwriting and poetic cinematography.

    Best South African Feature Film

    Catching Feelings by Kagiso Lediga The film is a refreshing film that not only showcases the talent of its writer and director but also introduces the audience to characters and conversations that they will recognize instantly from their own lives. Well executed and vibrant, it is a love letter to Johannesburg and a deserving addition to the canon of South African cinema.

    Best New Director

    Manouj Kadaamh for Horizon

    Best Director

    Visa Koiso-Kantilla- Star Boys

    Grand Prix Award

    Kivanç Sezer for My Father’s Wings

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  • Toronto’s Diaspora Film Festival to Showcase Music Films, DJANGO, HARMONIA, MORRIS FROM AMERICA

    [caption id="attachment_14117" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]MORRIS FROM AMERICA MORRIS FROM AMERICA[/caption] The 17th Diaspora Film Festival (DFF) will run from November 2 to 5, 2017 in Toronto under the theme Music of Diaspora. The festival will showcase films where music makes a major element of the storytelling, including DJANGO, HARMONIA, and MORRIS FROM AMERICA. The festival opens with the Toronto premiere of TEHRAN TABOO, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival 2017 and was nominated for Golden Camera and Critics’ Week prizes. THEY tells the story of young J who is exploring their gender identity. THEY was also nominated for Camera d’Or and Queer Palm at Cannes Film Festival 2017 and is also a Toronto premiere. Along with THEY there are three other films that deal with coming of age challenges. MORRIS FROM AMERICA is a comedy about a young African-American boy trying to fit in with German kids. In BABAI (Father), a young Kosovo boy goes through a difficult journey to Germany to find his dad, while in SON OF SOFIA, a young Russian boy finds a new dad when he decides to move to Greece to live with his mom. All Toronto premieres. HALAL FOR BEGINNERS is a fresh out of production Irish comedy about the first halal meet factory in Ireland, North American premiere. Shahab Hosseini, the winner of Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival 2016, plays an Iranian immigrant in the UK trying to forget his past with no plan for the future in the Toronto premiere of GHOLAM. In a reverse migration, a young Surinamer-Dutch man goes back to his hometown in search of his roots. DFF 17 closes with THE 90 MINUTES WAR, a palestinian-Israeli comedy where the politicians of both sides decide to resolve long-standing conflicts through a soccer match. [caption id="attachment_25245" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Tehran Taboo Tehran Taboo[/caption] Tehran Taboo Ali Soozandeh, Germany/Austria, 2017, 96 min, in Farsi with English Subtitles Nominated, Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Cannes FF 2017; winner, FIPRESCI, Jerusalem FF2017 The lives of three strong-willed women and a young musician cross paths in Tehran’s schizophrenic society where sex, adultery, corruption, prostitution and drugs coexist with strict religious laws. Django Etienne Comar, 2017, France, French, 117min Nominated for Golden Bear, Berlin FF 2017 1943, occupied Paris. Django Reinhardt the brilliant and carefree jazz guitarist plays to standing-room- only crowds. Meanwhile his gypsy brethren are being persecuted throughout Europe. They Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, US, 2017, 80 min Nominated, Camera d’Or, Queer Palm, Cannes FF 2017 Fourteen-year- old J goes by the pronoun ‘They’ and lives with their parents in the suburbs of Chicago. J is exploring their gender identity and has to make a decision whether or not to transition. Diaspora in Short A compilation of award winning short films from around the globe. Harmonia Ori Sivan, Israel, 2016, 98 min, in Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles Winner, Best Cinematography, Jerusalem FF 2016; Nominated for four Israeli Film Academy 2016 Harmonia is a modern adaptation of the mythological triangle between the childless Abraham and Sarah and young Hagar. When Hagar, a young horn player from East Jerusalem joins the West Side Orchestra, she bonds with Sarah and offers to have a baby for her from Abraham, her husband. Halal for Beginners Conor McDermottroe, Irland/Germany, 2017, 100 min, in English Partly based on true events, this warm-hearted comedy about Ireland’s first Halal meat factory tells the story of young Muslim Raghdan Aziz trying to find his place in the world of small town Sligo. Gholam Mitra Tabrizian, UK, 2017, 104 min, in Farsi and English with English Subtitles With Shahab Hosseini, winner of Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival 2017 Gholam is an enigmatic quiet Iranian cab driver. Once a war hero, he has disappeared from the battlefield without a trace. He does not want to look back into his past and has no conviction for the future. Babai Visar Morina, Germany/Kosovo, 2015, 104min, In German, Albanian, Serbian, English, with English Subtitles Winner, Best Director, Label Europa Cinema, Karlovy Vary FF 2015; One Feature Prize, Young German Cinema Award, Munich FF 2015 Ten-year- old Nori and his father Gezim roam the streets of Kosovo selling cigarette. When Gezim is lured west to Germany, Nori embarks on a dangerous journey to in search of his father. His tenacity, resilience, and sheer grit must be enough to guide him. Home Is Where the Heart Is Marc Waltman, The Netherlands, 2017, 100 min, in Dutch with English Subtitles Axel is a white Surinamer who has been living in The Netherlands for 20 years. When his mom calls the family back for Christmas Alex reluctantly returns back to Surinam with his wife. Over dinner, however, the situation explodes. Morris from America Chad Hartigan, Germany, 2016, 91 min, in German and English with English Subtitles Winner, Special Jury Award, Sundance FF 2016; Named Top Ten Independent Film by National Board of Review USA, 2016 Morris, a 13-year- old African-American moves to Heidelberg with his dad, a professional soccer coaches. After his attempts to fit in with German kids, he falls for a girl at a youth club. He finds his way to open up with his rapping talent and a help with his new German girlfriend. Son of Sofia Elina Psykou, France/Greece/Bulgaria, 2017, 111min, in Russian and Greek with English Subtitles Winner, Jury Award, Tribeca FF 2017, Special Award, Sarajevo FF 2017 Athens, 2004 summer Olympic Games. 11-year- old Misha arrives from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn’t know is that there is a father waiting for him there. While Greece is living the Olympic dream, Misha will get violently catapulted into the adult world. The 90 Minutes War Eyal Halfon, Israel/Germany/Portugal, 2016, 90 min, in Hebrew, Arabic, English, Portuguese, with English Subtitles After years of bloodshed, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about to be resolved. A moment before another round of violence, the ideal solution has been reached: a soccer game. One game that will decide who gets to stay in the holy land, and who must leave.

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  • 2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Awards – SWEET COUNTRY Wins Best Dramatic Feature

    [caption id="attachment_25238" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton[/caption] Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country, the story of an Aboriginal stockman in Australia’s fleeing the law after the murder of a white station owner, won the Best Dramatic Feature Award at the 17th imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. The Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary Work went to Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier directed by Shane Belcourt & Lisa Jackson. The documentary looks at the riveting true story about the crimes of Shelly Chartier, a reclusive young woman from a small Manitoba First Nation who engineered the high profile catfishing case involving an NBA superstar and an aspiring model.

    2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Award Winners

    The Ellen Monague Award for Best Youth Work RAE by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs $500 cash award presented by imagineNATIVE Best Audio Work Elcrys by Michael Wilson $500 cash award presented imagineNATIVE Best Dramatic Feature Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton $2,000 cash award presented by Bell Media Jane Glassco Award for Emerging Talent Morit Elena Morit by Inga-Wiktoria Påve & Anders Sunna $2,000 cash award presented by The CJ Foundation Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Short Work I Will Always Love You Kingen by Amanda Kernell $500 cash award presented by V-Tape The Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary Work (Long-Form) Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier by Shane Belcourt & Lisa Jackson $2,000 cash award presented by TVO Best Documentary Short Lelum’ by Asia Youngman $1,000 cash award by CBC Docs The Kent Monkman Award for Best Experimental Work Three Thousand by Asinnajaq $1,000 cash award presented by imagineNATIVE & Kent Monkman Best Digital Media Work Thunderbird Strike by Elizabeth LaPensée $500 cash award presented imagineNATIVE Best Indigenous Language Work Bowhead Whale Hunting With My Ancestors by Carol Kunnuk and Zacharias Kunuk $1,000 cash award presented by Indigenous Media Initiatives The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence Tina Keeper $1,500 cash award presented by ACTRA National, ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society, and generous individual donations Special Jury Prize – Sun Jury Sunday Fun Day by Dianna Fuemana Special Jury Prize – Moon Jury Birth of a Family by Tasha Hubbard The Web Series Live Pitch Competition Spectrum by Darcy Waite and Madison Thomas $30,000 in cash and in kind prizes presented by APTN

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  • Terrorist Drama ONE LESS GOD Wins Best Film Award at Byron Bay Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_25232" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]One Less God One Less God[/caption] One Less God, which tells the personal stories of Taj Mahal Palace hotel guests and staff caught up in the terrorist attack in 2008, took the Best Film Award at the 11th Byron Bay Film Festival. “The film, though gruelling, had been an “absolute hit” with audiences, “sparking debate, passionate commentary and heartfelt appreciation”, said Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke. Other nominations for Best Film included An American in Texas, City of Joy, Loving Vincent, and the Closing Gala feature Rumble: the Indians Who Rocked the World.

    2017 Byron Bay Film Festival Awards

    BEST FILM AWARD WINNER One Less God Director: Lliam Worthington BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE WINNER Jungle Director: Greg McLean Honourable Mention: An American in Texas Director: Anthony Pedone BEST SURF FILM Heavy Water Director: Michael Oblowitz BEST ANIMATION Loving Vincent Director: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM Blue Director: Karina Holden BEST YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER Mwah Director: Nina Buxton BEST BYRON FILM Church of the Open Sky Director: Nathan Oldfield BYRON BAY INTERNATIONALSCREENPLAY AWARD (new category) Broken Head Writer: Clare Sladden BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Radio Dreams Director: Babak Jalali BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM A Dragon Arrives Director: Mani Haghighi BEST SHORT Uncanny Valley Director: Federico Heller BEST INTERACTIVE VR Hue Director: Nicole McDonald BEST CINEMATIC VR Miyubi Director: Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY (new category) RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana BEST MUSIC VIDEO Love is a Lonely Dancer Artist: Antony & Cleopatra Director: Alan Masferrer

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  • The Orchard Will Release Award-Winning Documentary TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!

    Take My Nose... Please! by Joan Kron The Orchard will release the award-winning documentary film “TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!” in the United States and Canada on all digital and on-demand platforms beginning on January 9, 2018, director Kron’s 90th birthday. The film is currently finishing its Oscar® qualifying theatrical run in theaters in Los Angeles and New York. The acclaimed film, directed by the 89-year-old, first-time filmmaker Joan Kron (former contributing editor at large of Allure Magazine for 25 years and former fashion reporter of the Wall Street Journal), looks at the pressure on women to be attractive through the lens of comedy, and features well-known funny women including Jackie Hoffman, Judy Gold, Julie Halston, Lisa Lampanelli, Giulia Rozzi and a who’s-who of female comedy icons. “I am excited to be working with The Orchard to bring this film to a larger audience,” said director Kron. “We learned in festivals and in our theatrical screenings how the picture resonates with women–and men–by opening up for discussion a topic often spoken about in whispers. After years as a print journalist, it is thrilling for me to see how a film can affect audiences viscerally. Not only is “TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!” entertaining – even hilarious – it is visual truth serum, giving viewers permission to talk about their own experiences with age or appearance discrimination and their attitudes, pro and con, toward cosmetic surgery.” “Some people are surprised,” Kron adds, “that at this late age, I could learn to work in another medium, but I tell them, if I could start writing at age 41, I can become a director in my 80’s.” Prior to its theatrical run, “TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!” was a selection of many film festivals around the country including the Newport Beach Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, and San Francisco DocFest among others. The film won the Audience Award at the Miami Film Festival and at the Berkshire International Film Festival. “TAKE MY NOSE… PLEASE!” follows two comedians as they deliberate about going under the knife. Emily Askin, an up-and coming improv performer, has always wanted her nose refined. Emmy-nominated Jackie Hoffman, a seasoned headliner on Broadway and TV, considers herself ugly and regrets not having the nose job offered in her teens. And maybe she’d like a face-lift, as well. As we follow their surprisingly emotional stories, we meet others who have taken the leap – or held out. Putting it all in perspective are surgeons, sociologists, and cultural critics. And for comic relief and the profundity only comedians can supply, there are some high-profile cameos.

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  • ‘Liyana’ ‘Red Dog: True Blue’ ‘The Cage’ Win Grand Prizes at 26th Heartland Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_19102" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Red Dog: True Blue Red Dog: True Blue[/caption] Red Dog: True Blue is the winner of the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature, and Liyana takes the Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 26th Heartland Film Festival.  The Heartland Film Festival has earned the special designation of being a qualifying festival for the Annual Academy Awards® within the Short Films category. This means that the winner of the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short Film (“The Cage,” directed by Ricky Staub) will qualify for consideration in the Live Action Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. “Congratulations to our international prize winners who came from around the world to share their powerful stories in Indianapolis,” said Heartland Film President Craig Prater. “Feature winners ‘Liyana’ and ‘Red Dog: True Blue’ hail from Swaziland and Australia as short film winners ‘The Cage’, ‘Edges’, and ‘The Wishing Jar’ represent the U.S. and Canada. This year the Heartland Film Festival hosted more film titles and filmmakers than ever before and it is an honor to recognize these films as the best of the best.””

    2017 Heartland Film Festival winners

    $25,000 Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature “Red Dog: True Blue,” directed by Kriv Stenders (Australia) [caption id="attachment_25121" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Liyana, directed by Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp Liyana[/caption] $25,000 Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature “Liyana,” directed by Aaron and Amanda Kopp (Swaziland, USA, Qatar) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short Underwritten by Heartland Film Endowment’s Sparks Vision Award “The Cage,” directed by Ricky Staub (USA) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Documentary Short Underwritten by Heartland Film Endowment’s Sparks Vision Award “Edges,” directed by Katie Stjernholm and Jonathan Hiller (USA) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Animated Short “The Wishing Jar,” directed by Denver Jackson (Canada) $3,500 Best Premiere for Narrative Feature “The Drawer Boy,” directed by Arturo Pérez Torres (Canada, Mexico) $3,500 Best Premiere for Documentary Feature “Defining Hope,” directed by Carolyn Jones (USA) $5,000 Indiana Spotlight Winner “Little Warriors,” directed by Sam Miro (USA) $2,000 Summer White Lynch Memorial Award – High School Film Competition Grand Prize Underwritten by Gary D. & Marlene Cohen “Two of Five Million,” directed by Socs and DZ Zavitsanos (Greece, USA) $5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award Winner “Little Pink House,” directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker (USA) The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award honors a single film, selected from the Festival’s feature-length narrative and documentary titles. This film embodies the ongoing legacy of actor and national hero Jimmy Stewart and demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity. Made possible by a partnership with The Stewart Family.

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  • VIDEO: Watch Michelle Morgan’s Indie Comedy IT HAPPENED IN LA Trailer, Opens in Theaters on November 3rd

    It Happened In LA The Orchard dropped the new trailer and poster for Michelle Morgan’s indie comedy It Happened In L.A. which premiered earlier this as an Official Selection of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.  The film starring also starring Michelle Morgan, along with Jorma Taccone, Dree Hemingway and Kentucker Audley will open in New York on November 3rd and in LA on November 10th. It Happened In L.A. will also be available digitally on November 14th. It Happened In L.A. Movie Poster Annette (Michelle Morgan) and Elliot (Jorma Taccone) are a mostly happy, moderately neurotic L.A. couple. Maybe Annette doesn’t enjoy game nights or taco stands as much as Elliot does, but no relationship is perfect, right? Rather than embracing their differences, Annette can only compare their relationship to their happy couple friends. This cannot be endorsed by Annette’s beautiful but romantically troubled best friend, Baker (Dree Hemingway), who is very well-versed on the bleakness of the L.A. dating scene. Taking its cues from classic mid-20th Century comedies with a stylish and contemporary spin, IT HAPPENED IN L.A. is an irreverent tale of life and the search for elusive love in the 21st Century.

    It Happened In L.A. Trailer

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP5Yq4KGYLg

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  • GODLESS, LADY MACBETH, SUMMER 1993 Among 5 Films Nominated for 2017 European Film Awards European Discovery

    [caption id="attachment_25219" align="aligncenter" width="1296"]BLOODY MILK PETIT PAYSAN BLOODY MILK (PETIT PAYSAN)[/caption] Five films have been nominated for the EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2017 – Prix FIPRESCI, an award presented as part of the European Film Awards to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. The European Discovery 2017 – Prix FIPRESCI will be presented at the 30th European Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday, December 9, in Berlin. BLOODY MILK PETIT PAYSAN France 90 min DIRECTED BY Hubert Charuel WRITTEN BY Claude Le Pape & Hubert Charuel PRODUCED BY Stephanie Bermann & Alexis Dulguerian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0xM1ox-tJc GODLESS БЕЗБОГ (BEZBOG) Bulgaria, Denmark, France 99 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Ralitza Petrova PRODUCED BY Rossitsa Valkanova, Eva Jakobsen & Laurence Clerc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaFsohECLkE LADY MACBETH UK 89 min DIRECTED BY William Oldroyd WRITTEN BY Alice Birch PRODUCED BY Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDhZI4WiQ78 SUMMER 1993 ESTIU 1993 Spain 96 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Carla Simón PRODUCED BY Valérie Delpierre, Stefan Schmitz & Maria Zamora https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxWQ5CpDqoA THE EREMITES DIE EINSIEDLER Germany 110 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Ronny Trocker PRODUCED BY Paul Zischler & Susanne Mann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh2bI6Vj2tU

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  • AFI FEST 2017 Announces Centerpiece Gala Films and Tribute for Filmmaker Errol Morris

    [caption id="attachment_23476" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE DISASTER ARTIST, JAMES FRANCO THE DISASTER ARTIST, JAMES FRANCO[/caption] AFI FEST 2017 today announced the three Centerpiece Galas – CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; THE DISASTER ARTIST and HOSTILES, along with a Tribute for Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris following a screening of WORMWOOD. Errol Morris’credits include the Oscar®-winning THE FOG OF WAR (2003), as well as GATES OF HEAVEN (1978), THE THIN BLUE LINE (1988), A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (1991), TABLOID (2010) and THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (2013). Morris serves on the AFI DOCS Film Festival Advisory Board and, in 2013, was the AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree. The Centerpiece Galas CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (DIR Luca Guadagnino) will take place on Friday, November 10; THE DISASTER ARTIST (DIR James Franco) on Sunday, November 12; and HOSTILES (DIR Scott Cooper) on Tuesday, November 14. On Saturday, November 11, Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris will be honored with the Tribute.

    CENTERPIECE GALAS

    CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – The new film from Sony Pictures Classics by Luca Guadagnino is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman. It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th-century villa, transcribing and playing classical music, reading and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever. THE DISASTER ARTIST – Director James Franco reimagines the tragicomic true story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau — an artist whose passion was as sincere as his methods were questionable — as a celebration of friendship, artistic expression and dreams pursued against insurmountable odds. Based on Greg Sestero’s bestselling tell-all about the making of Wiseau’s cult-classic disaster piece THE ROOM (“The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made”), THE DISASTER ARTIST is a hilarious and welcome reminder that there is more than one way to become a legend — and no limit to what you can achieve when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. Franco directs, produces and stars in the film, delivering a transformative performance as Wiseau in this A24 release. HOSTILES – Set in 1892 at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, the buffalo gone, America’s indigenous population vanquished and the frontier rapidly disappearing into settlements and cities, two bitter adversaries of the Indian Wars are forced into a final, unexpected encounter. Cavalry Captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale), a former war hero turned jailer, and Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi), a Northern Cheyenne war chief turned prisoner, are forced to partake in a hollow publicity stunt to bolster the personal and political fortunes of Blocker’s commanding officer. Stuck in Fort Berringer, a miserable New Mexican prison outpost, Yellow Hawk is to be released to Blocker and returned to the Cheyenne homeland in Montana. It’s a particularly cynical gambit, as Yellow Hawk is dying and upon his death, his family will be imprisoned on a reservation. A belligerent Blocker believes the Chief should die in prison and is threatened with court martial when he refuses to accompany his enemy home. The plan is set in motion and Blocker, his men, Yellow Hawk and his family become complicated traveling companions. Not long after their departure, the group happens upon Rosalee Quaid (Rosamund Pike), a traumatized survivor of a Comanche massacre, and she reluctantly joins. Blocker, Yellow Hawk and Quaid turn into the unlikely heart of HOSTILES. They are tenacious fighters who have been shaped by suffering, violence and loss. Compelled to work together to endure and survive a 1,000-mile journey of Odyssey-like proportions, they’re forced to confront their preconceived notions of one another, and realize that the worst of their differences were created by forces beyond their control. Their transformation from a place of antagonism and fear to one of compassion and tolerance is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and our capacity for change. HOSTILES features cinematography by AFI Conservatory alumnus Masanobu Takayanagi (Class of 2002).

    TRIBUTE SCREENING

    WORMWOOD – Directed by boundary-breaking filmmaker Errol Morris, WORMWOOD explores the limits of knowledge about the past and the lengths we’ll go in our search for the truth in a twisting, evolving story of one man’s 60-year quest to identify the circumstances of his father’s mysterious death. Combining a virtuosic performance by Peter Sarsgaard with Morris’ legendary interview style, WORMWOOD examines this case from every possible angle, bringing the viewer face to face with some of the United States’ darkest secrets. A Netflix Original Story told in six chapters.

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  • VIDEO: Watch Adam Christian Clark’s Indie Dark Comedy NEWLY SINGLE Trailer + Poster

    Newly Single Poster Check out the trailer and poster for the new dark comedy Newly Single from writer/director Adam Christian Clark.  The LA set movie, starring Adam Christian Clark, Jennifer Kim, Molly C. Quinn, Anna Jacoby-Heron, Rémy Bennett, Greg Gilreath, Raychel Diane Weiner, and Marguerite Moreau, debuts in Official Competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia on Monday 27th November, 2017. Newly Single is the second feature film by American writer/director Adam Christian Clark. After the successful run of his first film, Caroline and Jackie (Tribeca, 2012), Clark began assembling his next feature, Aaron Baby Superfecta. With considerably more money and A-list talent, Clark was on the verge of the next big step in his career. But when several lead actors dropped out, the financing fell apart, and the film collapsed. Clark found himself newly single, laid-off from a long-term TV directing job, and engulfed in a downward spiral of enthusiastic drinking and restless dating. On the verge of financial collapse and eviction, Clark doubled down, writing and directing the meta-dark-comedy Newly Single. Loosely inspired by recent events in his life, Adam Christian Clark also stepped in front of the camera for the first time to play the bitter and broken Astor Williams Stevenso On the heels of booking a life-changing motion picture, Astor Williams Stevenson drives away his girlfriend and aggressively re-enters the LA dating scene. The film director finds himself alone and prowling; looking for love, sating his lust, and searching through the darkness of downtown Los Angeles. Following Astor on a series of dates with a never ending parade of women, Newly Single explores the inner workings of his heart as well as the modern, urban world of dating, independent filmmaking, and the desire to be anyone but one’s true self. Astor finds himself struggling to compartmentalize the many facets of his life, until his barely restrained acerbic nature, fueled by insecurity and sadness, boils over into his personal and professional lives, leaving both in a flaming pile of ash. A noir-comedy love affair with downtown Los Angeles, Newly Single cuts through the coldness of modern dating, changing male identity, and the mad, sad desire to be loved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3UNCqvCb9U&feature=youtu.be

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  • 2017 Gotham Awards Nominations – ‘Get Out’, ‘The Florida Project’, ‘Lady Bird’ Among Nominees

    2017 Gotham Awards Nominations - Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project, Lady Bird The nominations for the 27th Annual IFP Gotham Awards are out, and Jordan Peele’s Get Out lead with four nods including Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Screenplay and Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya.  Next up with three nominations each were Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project, and Lady Bird. Mudbound scored an early win for the special Gotham Jury Award for ensemble performance (actors Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, and Jonathan Banks). The Gotham Awards signals the kick-off to the film awards season. As the first major awards ceremony on the calendar, the IFP Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. “This year offered a bountiful array of diverse, creative work that represents the very best from this community. We’re thrilled to celebrate these achievements,” said Joana Vicente, executive director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center. In addition to the film awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actors Nicole Kidman and Dustin Hoffman, director Sofia Coppola, producer Jason Blum, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and a Gotham Humanitarian Tribute to Al Gore. The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 27th at Cipriani Wall Street.

    2017 IFP Gotham Independent Film Award nominations

    Best Feature

    Call Me by Your Name Luca Guadagnino, director; Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics) The Florida Project Sean Baker, director; Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou, producers (A24) Get Out Jordan Peele, director; Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm, Jr., Jordan Peele, producers (Universal Pictures) Good Time Josh and Benny Safdie, directors; Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis, Terry Dougas, Sebastian Bear-McClard, Oscar Boyson, producers (A24) I, Tonya Craig Gillespie, director; Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, producers (NEON)

    Best Documentary

    Ex Libris – The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, director and producer (Zipporah Films) Rat Film Theo Anthony, director; Riel Roch-Decter, Sebastian Pardo, producers (MEMORY and Cinema Guild) Strong Island Yance Ford, director; Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes, producers (Netflix) Whose Streets? Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis, directors; Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis, Jennifer MacArthur, Flannery Miller, producers (Magnolia Pictures) The Work Jairus McLeary, director; Gethin Aldous, co-director; Alice Henty, Eon McLeary, Jairus McLeary, Miles McLeary, producers (The Orchard and First Look Media)

    Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

    Maggie Betts for Novitiate (Sony Pictures Classics) Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird (A24) Kogonada for Columbus (Superlative Films/Depth of Field) Jordan Peele for Get Out (Universal Pictures) Joshua Z Weinstein for Menashe (A24)

    Best Screenplay

    The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (Amazon Studios) Brad’s Status, Mike White (Amazon Studios) Call Me by Your Name, James Ivory (Sony Pictures Classics) Columbus, Kogonada (Superlative Films/Depth of Field) Get Out, Jordan Peele (Universal Pictures) Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig (A24)

    Best Actor*

    Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project (A24) James Franco in The Disaster Artist (A24) Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (Universal Pictures) Robert Pattinson in Good Time (A24) Adam Sandler in The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (Netflix) Harry Dean Stanton in Lucky (Magnolia Pictures)

    Best Actress*

    Melanie Lynskey in I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (Netflix) Haley Lu Richardson in Columbus (Superlative Films/Depth of Field) Margot Robbie in I, Tonya (NEON) Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird (A24) Lois Smith in Marjorie Prime (FilmRise)

    Breakthrough Actor

    Mary J. Blige in Mudbound (Netflix) Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name (Sony Pictures Classics) Harris Dickinson in Beach Rats (NEON) Kelvin Harrison, Jr. in It Comes at Night (A24) Brooklynn Prince in The Florida Project (A24) * The 2017 Best Actor/Best Actress nominating committee also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award for ensemble performance to Mudbound, The award will go to actors Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, and Jonathan Banks.

    Breakthrough Series – Long Form

    Atlanta, Donald Glover, creator; Donald Glover, Dianne McGunigle, Paul Simms, executive producers (FX Networks) Better Things, Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K., creators; Dave Becky, M. Blair Breard, Louis C.K., Pamela Adlon, executive producers (FX Networks) Dear White People, Justin Simien, creator; Yvette Lee Bowser, Justin Simien, Stephanie Allain, Julia Lebedev, executive producers (Netflix) Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator; Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Harry Williams, Jack Williams, executive producers (Amazon) Search Party, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter, creators; Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, executive producers (TBS)

    Breakthrough Series – Short Form

    555, Kate Berlant, Andrew DeYoung and John Early, creators (Vimeo) Inconceivable, Joel Ashton McCarthy, creator (YouTube) Junior, Zoe Cassavetes, creator (Blackpills and VICE) Let Me Die a Nun, Sarah Salovaara, creator (Vimeo) The Strange Eyes of Dr. Myes, Nancy Andrews, creator (YouTube) (Additional credits to be determined.)  

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